Original subtitles

- Helping your talent do their job well

doesn't exclusively involve communication or technique.

You also need to be open to practical approaches

in working with talent.

When you're on set, one of the best things you can do

is give an actor time and space they need to get focused.

Leave them alone to do their job.

You can also give them the tools they need to do their job.

Sometimes you'll be surprised at what form that takes.

I was working on an industrial set, and the actor was having

a lot of trouble with the delivery of her lines.

She'd only gotten the script two nights before

and it was a 15-minute production,

so she was having a little trouble.

Every time we tried to do a take, she stumbled on her lines.

So finally we came up with a solution.

We actually had them record their lines on their iPhones

and then play them back in their ears

as they were delivering them.

There wasn't a budget for a teleprompter,

so we didn't have much choice but to try this option.

This is the only way we could get through all of the script

in the time we had allotted.

Here's her doing it before and after the ear prompter.

- Sorry, I'm going to give it one more quick ...

I was given one quick little sneak peek,

but it's taking longer than ...

Okay.

- [Interviewer] So what specifically did the PUC say?

- Well, we haven't seen the actual directive yet,

but apparently some of our Customer Service Representatives,

CSRs, have been very rude when talking with customers.

It's a simple problem.

- [Original female speaker] Let's just go back

to the talking.

- Talking to customers. Okay.

Well, we haven't seen the actual directive yet.

But apparently some of our Customer Service Representatives,

or CSRs, have been very rude when talking to customers.

Luckily, it's a simple problem to fix.

That's why I called you in right away.

We just need a little training program on customer courtesy.

Maybe a half day or so, to emphasize the importance of

great customer service and to give our phone-based employees

some tips on how to respond effectively to customers.

I'd like to start the training soon, maybe in a month or so?

- [Original female speaker] When you're on set, don't forget

the little practicalities.

Here's an actor that said,

"Feed me well and give me frequent breaks.

Not pampering, but respecting and letting me do my job

without distractions.

A well-fed actor is an actor who can concentrate,

and it's a lot better to let us step out for five than to

spend fifteen failing to get the shot because we're gassed".

Another practicality to keep in mind are your call times,

and when people are scheduled to come on set.

Another actor said, "Stagger call times based on need.

I know this is a tough one because a director may not know

exactly when they are ready for an actor.

But to have someone there at 8am when their scene is the 8th

one of the day seems a bit too cautious.

It drains actors' energy or, worse, fuels negative energy

when they sit around all day".

Remember that your talent are not robots

that need maintenance.

They're people that need cultivation and respect.